Shiro to Kuro
by kasanerusatoshi
Summary: Set after the Winter War. Karin becomes a shinigami and while she works her way up the ranks she meets a special someone.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or anything that has to do with it. All credit goes to Kubo Tite.

This is my first fanfic. I've been reading some and thought, "Hey! I should try writing my own!" So, please excuse the formats and any grammar errors. Still trying to figure out all of that and quotes and stuff (seriously, I think it's like in an essay format or something XD). Please review! Comments are much appreciated =)

Shiro to Kuro

(lit. white and black)

Ch.1

10th division taicho Hitsugaya Toshiro- but that's Hitsugaya taicho to you- sheathed Hyorinmaru and wiped the sweat from his forehead after a long day of training. Ten years have passed since the Winter War, and though Toshiro still had those same sea-green eyes and blinding white hair, he had finally grown! All those years of marking the wall in his quarters charting his progress! Those afternoon naps had worked! The day he reached 5'8" he thought menacingly to himself, "Hah, that damn Ichigo won't have anything to say to me now." Still, Ichigo had the pleasure of calling him "Shorty" for nearly the past decade.

"I'm gonna go get some amanatto today," Hitsugaya thought, smiling a bit to himself. "I'm all out." Even though he had the reputation of being as cold as his zanpakuto, the thought of amanatto always made him smile. His grandmother, still living in the 1st district of West Rukongai, used to always give him these candies when he was a child, and no matter how hard he had tried to prove how mature he was (even with Ukitake giving him all these other candies every time they met- seriously, does that man just carry candy up his sleeves everywhere he goes?), he couldn't say no to amanatto. Just as he put his foot forward to shunpo to the store, his vision suddenly went a dark, raven-black. For a second he thought he had trained too hard and blacked-out-"But wait! I'm a taicho. It shouldn't wipe me out that quickly!" he thought- then realized his girlfriend was standing in front of him. He tilted his head down and looked at her to see her violet eyes wide and a worried look etched across her face.

*Flashback*

Kurosaki Karin had been a shinigami now for a little over two years. Although she had died in the real world when she was sixteen, she had the same appearance despite the time difference. Having had some reiryoku while she was younger and having it grow steadily until her death, Karin successfully entered the Shinōreijutsuin where she excelled in all subjects, especially zankenzoki, and graduated in just three years instead of the usual six. She could have done it in two, but her lively attitude and knack for talking back at the teachers didn't exactly make her a favorite student. Still, they couldn't argue when they saw her grades- all they could have done was give her so much more homework.


	2. Chapter 2

Ch.2

Upon graduation she was assigned to Gotei 13's 6th division, under Kuchiki taicho. He was a tough one to please, that one, and with his stone cold look Karin felt more intimidated than ever. One good thing about serving in the 6th division was that she dared not talk back to Byakuya less she wanted to die a painful death at the hands of his Senbonakura- she knew her limits. Still Karin vowed to not let that affect her, kept her mouth shut, and worked diligently in her duties. Karin thought she was doing alright- after all she was known as a rather talented student and an excellent rookie- but she never received any kind of acknowledgement except for a curt nod from her taicho when she reported at the end of her missions.

It was only a month after entering the 6th division that Byakuya sent her on her first solo hollow cleansing mission in the real world. She was walking around the shops one day, debating whether she should have some taiyaki or takoyaki for a snack when Renji found her. "Yo! Karin!" Renji waved at her happily. "Yo! Fukutaicho-san" Karin shouted, with a hint of mockery. Renji smiled. "So much like Ichigo," he thought, shaking his head. "Taicho wants to see you." Karin's face dropped. Upon seeing her reaction Renji hastily added, "No! Hahah…it's nothing bad. Go one, he's waiting." Renji began shooing her towards the 6th division. "And you don't want to keep taicho waiting," he added in a whisper. "The last guy to do so…well, let's just say he's lucky to still be alive, let alone still in 6th division!" Karin took off at top speed without a second glance.

"Enter," came a voice from behind the doors. Karin slid the heavy wooden door aside and approached Byakuya's desk timidly, stopping about three feet from it. She never really liked being in Byakuya's presence. He was an intimidating man and she felt like she had to tip toe around everything whenever he was near. Nonetheless, he was her taicho and she was the rookie.

While Byakuya explained the details of her mission, Karin kept her eyes on the floor. Outwardly she showed no emotion, but her insides were burning. Karin had done well in patrolling Rukongai, and she was so excited to get promoted to the next step into the world of the living. "Any questions?" Karin snapped out of it and said, "No, Kuchiki taicho." "You may go now then, Kurosaki," Byakuya said, not even looking up from his paperwork. "Thank you very much, Kuchiki taicho," Karin said bowing, and walked out of the office.

"That girl has finally learned some respect," Byakuya thought to himself. He had read her reports from her teachers at school and was dreading having her in his squad, yet even Byakuya though she was a good asset to his division in the end. Karin had proved herself well, and winning the acceptance of the 6th division's taicho was no easy task- but Byakuya would never tell her that of course.

Out of sight from her intimidating taicho, Karin smiled and felt so much pride being a part of Gotei 13. It had been her dream ever since she saw her brother's shinigami form burst out from his physical body. The shihakusho, the zanpakuto, the ability to protect those she loved- Karin had done it! She sprinted off to tell her good friends the news for she could barely contain her excitement, then set off towards her home to pack.


	3. Chapter 3

Ch 3.

The next day the sun shone bright and the cool wind whipped the fallen leaves into small tornadoes. Karin inhaled deeply and shouted, "Yossha!" She set off on her mission at a run. It was all going well. Ichigo had gone to see her off and opened the Senkaimon on their side. Head up, Karin put one foot in front of the other and walked through the gate. "Ganbaruzo, Karin!" Ichigo gave her a thumbs-up as the Senkaimon doors began to slide shut and hid him from view.

Karin crossed through to the physical world without trouble thanks to her jigokucho and arrived in none other than her previous home, Karakura Town! "Is this some kind of sick joke, taicho?" Karin yelled angrily to the now closing Senkaimon.

Back in his office, Byakuya let out a sneeze. "Taicho, are you okay?" Renji asked, looking up from his paperwork. "You don't need to concern yourself over these trifling matters, Renji," Byakuya said, not taking his eyes off his own pile of papers to be signed.

Back in Karakura, Karin stood rooted for a moment. "Still, it brings back memories," she sighed, a little sadly. "I wonder how Yuzu and oyaji are doing." From time to time the two of them visited, what with Isshin being a former shinigami. Of course, it took a lot of convincing on Ichigo's part to persuade Soutaicho to let them come. Even Soutaicho couldn't deny the help Ichigo was during the Winter War. "I'll drop by after I'm done with my mission," Karin thought happily. It has been a long time since they have seen each other.

Quickly, her mind snapped back to the present and she steeled herself on her mission. The sun was beginning to set in Karakura and Karin had to hurry. She didn't like the idea of fighting a hollow in the dead of night when there were so many blind spots. Not sensing the hollow, Karin pulled out her soul phone from her pocket, flipped it opened and began to search for the coordinates of her target. In the far right corner a little red dot was blinking rapidly. "Gotcha now!" she said as she snapped her phone closed and raced in the direction of the hollow.

Karin ran up the hill as fast as she could, yet she couldn't help herself from sparing a moment's thought as she looked to her right to see the railing she used to sit on to watch the sunset.

"What a beautiful sky," Karin said quietly, her waraji pounding the asphalt yet barley making a sound.

"Enjoy it while it lasts," a deep voice sounded mockingly to her left.

Karin whipped her head around as fast as she could, simultaneously drawing her zanpakuto and made for a wide slash. "You're never gonna get me like that, shinigami!" the hollow laughed.

"Like hell I won't!" Karin roared, silently cursing herself for letting her guard down. She was taught to attack her opponent first to gain the element of surprise, not the other way around!

Taking her fighting stance, zanpakuto in hand, Karin stared at her opponent. He – it – made no motion to attack her just yet. "Fine," Karin thought, "if he's not gonna go then I am!" and raised her blade high over her head preparing to slice down upon its mask. The hollow raised its enormous arm and made for a swipe. It missed, but it had forced Karin to make to the right to avoid impact. "Hado no Sanjyusan- Shakkaho!" Karin yelled, and aimed a powerful blast of red reiatsu at the hollow. It collided with its arm it had just used to attack Karin and fell to the floor with a dull thump as blood spurted everywhere. "I got you now!" Karin yelled, adrenalin pumping through her veins, and made for the final swing. Just as she was about to deliver the final blow she caught a glimpse of something coming at her out of the corner of her eye. "Dammit!" she thought, "I can't…" But it was too late. Karin slammed into the rail, breaking it, and continued to tumble down the side of the hill.


	4. Chapter 4

Ch.4

The hollow, laughing triumphantly, punched its hands into the air in victory. "Take that, shinigami! Too bad you didn't know- I can regenerate my body at will. Your puny kido has –"Who are you callin' puny?" a voice said coldly, cutting off the hollow's laughter. It was Hitsugaya Toshiro, the tensai taicho of the 10th division, Hyorinmaru in his right hand pointing threatingly at the hollow and Karin in his left as he supported her.

"Are you okay, Kurosaki?" Hitsugaya asked Karin, not taking his eyes off the hollow. "Yes…" Karin said quietly and she stood on her own, zanpakuto drawn. She was bruised badly and bleeding through the rips in her shihakusho she had sustained from the fall. Still, Karin ignored her wounds as she stared at awe at the boy in front of her, his white hair spiked as if defying gravity, his captain's haori whipping in the wind. Karin had never seen the 10th division's taicho before, but she heard stories from others around Sereitei about his intelligence and his powerful ice-type zanpakuto. "You're going to pay for that, hollow," said Hitsugaya, and in a blink of an eye sliced off both of his arms as the hollow howled in pain. "Finish it, Kurosaki," Hitsugaya said, his sea-green eyes locked with hers, "before he regenerates again." Hitsugaya could have easily killed this hollow with little to no effort, yet as he looked at Karin he thought she needed the experience more than he did. He also saw the fire in her eyes- "Just like that damn Ichigo" Hitsugaya thought. Karin's eyes looked was piercing as sharp as daggers as she leaped into the air. Her zanpakuto on the right, she swung in an upward movement and cut the mask cleanly in two. Before her feet touched the ground the hollow had disappeared, and Karin sighed in relief.

"Thank you, Hitsugaya-taicho," Karin bowed. "Hmm…working under Byakuya must've taught her some respect- finally," Hitsugaya whispered. Karin's energy was well known in her academy days. As Karin moved to raise herself, she swayed a bit, the blood loss making her a bit woozy. Firm yet cold hands caught her shoulders and steadied her and Karin cursed herself for appearing so weak. "Don't mention it," Hitsugaya said, not revealing any emotion in his voice. "Come on, let's go back to Sereitei. We'll have fourth division fix you up properly, but for now-" and Hitsugaya cut a piece from his haori and tied it firmly around Karin's arm to stop the bleeding. She winced as he pulled the cloth into a tight knot. "Thank you, Hitsugaya-taicho," Karin could barely think straight. "I said 'don't mention it'" and the two of them made their way through the senkaimon, Karin barely able to keep awake now that the adrenaline from the fight was wearing off.


	5. Chapter 5

Ch.5

*Two days later*

"Hey!" Karin shouted at the white-haired boy making his way down the hall. Hitsugaya turned around thinking who would have the nerve to address a taicho so informally. "What?" he said coldly when he noticed it was Karin. "I take back what I said earlier," he thought. "She's just as disrespectful as ever." "Sorry about the other day," Karin said, hand scratching the back of her head with a sheepish look on her face. "But I'm not as weak as you think I am, Shiro!" Karin let that last word slip out of her mouth unintentionally.

Complete shock was etched on Hitsugaya's face. "Wha- Shiro?" The room suddenly got about 30 degrees colder. "Oh…haha…" Karin said, teeth chattering and goose bumps rising on her arms. "Well, your hair! It's not my fault it's so white!" she yelled back. "Hey! I'm not the one who almost got beaten by a little hollow!" "That's it!" Karin thought angrily. Hitsugaya touched a nerve. Karin never wanted herself to be perceived as weak, and suddenly let out a rush of reiatsu. Other people in the building poked their heads out to see what was going on, paused, and made a run for the exits. They didn't want to be around, what will all that reiatsu from the Kurosaki kid and Hitsugaya taicho about to be let loose. "Ahhh…angry, are we?" Hitsugaya remarked mockingly. "That's it! I'm gonna show you I'm not weak, Shiro!" Karin put her foot forward. "Wait!" Hitsugaya stuck out his hand in front of him. "Not here. You're gonna tear down the building." And with that he shunpo-ed out into the open area, the same place Karin's brother Ichigo had fought Renji all those years ago. Karin let out a yell of fury and chased after the taicho.

And that was how it began. Karin had lost of course. Hitsugaya would never have let someone who addressed him so informally get away with it. "Just like that damn Ichigo" he thought, right before he landed a kick on Karin's shoulder that forced her into the ground. Although Hitsugaya had won, he did admit Karin put up a good fight and was impressed by her skill.

Not long after, they were sent on missions together and in their spare time (on those rare days when Hitsugaya could get Matsumoto to actually do her work) trained together. Two years flew by, and in that time they were growing closer and closer. Hitsugaya was finally letting his cold personality go little by little when he was around Karin.


	6. Chapter 6

Ch.6

On what would have been Karin's 21st birthday in the real world, Hitsugaya worked up his courage and took Karin's hand after a long day of training together. Staring at the floor Hitsugaya thought to himself, "This shouldn't be so difficult. I'm a taicho, dammit! But why is it….?" Karin stared at their hands in shock.

She and Hitsugaya (or Shiro as she liked to call him) had been together a lot lately. At first she thought it was just a crush and that it would go away, but the tight feeling in her stomach never lessened. She had never forgotten how he had saved her that day in Karakura. The feeling only got worse as she spent more and more time with him. Still, she could not believe he was standing in front of her, her hands in his, when after what seemed like an eternity he tilted his head up and their gazes met. Karin looked into his deep green eyes to see her violet ones staring back at her.

"Say something, dammit!" Hitsugaya thought, "Or she's gonna think you're crazy!" Hitsugaya opened his mouth to speak, but before he could get any words out Karin put a finger to his lips. "I know, Shiro" she said in a quiet, almost sweet, voice. Hitsugaya lifted his hand and moved her finger out of the way. "I know you do." He looked into her eyes again. "But I want to say it anyway. I love you, Karin." Karin, even though she had been wanting this for so long, couldn't contain her shock. He had called her by her name. Her first name! No more of that "Kurosaki" as if they were just comrades. Karin blushed, and smiled. "I love you too," she replied, grinning, and she felt Hitsugaya tightened his grip on her hands. Hitsugaya, no matter how level-headed and emotionless others though him to be, blushed. Although it was getting dark and there was only a light tint of orange left in the sky, Karin didn't miss it. She laughed, her sweet voice ringing into the crisp air. "You're blushing, Shiro!" "No I'm not!" Hitsugaya denied, though he said it with a slight smile on his face. "It's okay. I won't tell anyone," Karin said softly, and at that moment Hitsugaya leaned in and gave her a soft kiss on the lips.

It seemed like forever until they pulled apart, and when they finally did both were so happy they felt nothing could ruin the day. "It's getting dark," Karin said. "Yeah…" Hitsugaya said, head towards the sky. "I'll walk you home" he said, and the two headed off into the darkness, their hands intertwined and their hearts content.

The night was perfect. The sky was clear and the stars were gleaming overhead, and the moon was so full and bright one might have mistaken it for Ikaku's head (haha, sorry I just had to! If you've seen the Shinigami Zukan you know what I mean XD). "This is perfect," Karin thought happily as she made her way through the woods with Hitsugaya. As they put one foot in front of the other on the dusty dirt path, Karin suddenly remembered something. "Shiro?" "Hmm?" Hitsugaya looked in Karin's eyes. She looked serious, her eyebrows furrowed and her stare glaring. "Don't tell anybody about us. Not yet, anyway," She added hurriedly. She didn't want him to think she was embarrassed to be seen with him. "It's just that…well, if Ichi-nii finds out…" "He'll go all 'BAN-KAI!' on me, won't he?" Hitsugaya finished for her, laughing. "Not like he can do much damage," Hitsugaya thought arrogantly. Karin's face softened. She had been worried about her brother's reaction if he found out. Ichigo was always so protective of her, ever since they were little kids back in the real world. "Thanks," Karin said, and Hitsugaya pulled her closer in as they continued their way to Karin's home.

About a mile before reaching Karin's home, the two of them broke apart to avoid being seen by others. As they parted ways, a dark shadow lingered in the trees a few meters away.


	7. Chapter 7

Ch.7

The next day Karin awoke with a start. She was in her room in the Kurosaki compound she shared with her brother Ichigo, 5th division's new taicho after that traitor Aizen had defected. Although his office was on the other side of the compound, she could hear his voice clearly.

All of Seireitei did too.

"WHATTTTT?" Karin heard her brother's voice roar through the walls. "WHATTT? KARIN!" "Damn!" Karin swore and dragged herself out of bed as fast as she could. Pulling on her shihakusho, she could hear footsteps pounding in the hallway. "KARIN!" Ichigo was getting closer. Karin had to hurry. Quickly she grabbed her zanpakuto from its resting place in a nook in the wall (for it was never wise to go about unarmed, though skilled in kido she was) and jumped out the window just as her brother threw open the sliding door to her bedroom. He was too slow of course, and only saw a glimpse of black fabric fly past the window. "I'M GONNA KILL THAT TOSHIRO!" Ichigo yelled, and shunpo-ed towards the 10th division barracks, Zangetsu in tow.

Luckily for Hitsugaya, he decided to get up for an early training session. Wonderful as it was last night with Karin, and a huge weight off his chest knowing that she reciprocated his feelings, Hitsugaya still had to perfect his bankai in time for the upcoming battle against Aizen. "That bastard," Hitsugaya thought as he brought Hyorinmaru crashing down. "I'm going to kill him. How the hell he escaped from Muken Central 46 had sentenced him to I'll never know. But I do know he's gonna pay for it." Worn out, he thought it was time for a snack. All that training had made him super hungry and what he wanted most at that moment was some amanatto. "I'm gonna go get some amanatto today," Hitsugaya thought, "I'm all out." Just as he put his foot forward to shunpo to the store, his vision suddenly went a dark, raven-black. For a second he thought he had trained too hard and blacked-out- But wait! I'm a taicho. It shouldn't wipe me out that quickly!" he thought- then realized his girlfriend was standing in front of him, her violet eyes wide and a worried look etched across her face.

*End Flashback*

"Ka-Karin!" Hitsugaya said, a little caught off guard. "Karin! Are you okay?" Hitsugaya said when she looked up at him, his voice filled with worry. He began checking her for signs of injury but found no blood. He had not seen her like this since that time when he saved her from her first solo hollow cleansing mission in the real world. "Run!" Karin said, a little breathlessly. "Ka-" but he was cut off. "Ichi-nii! He- he found out about us!" "Wha- how did he- so fast?" Hitsugaya said, shocked. "It doesn't matter!" Karin said, not bothering to answer. She had finally caught her breath. "Hurry! He's gone off to the 10th division, but soon he's going to realize where you are!" His training ground wasn't exactly a secret. As much as Hitsugaya despised Ichigo they still trained together on many occasions. Hitsugaya, no matter how grudgingly, had to admit Ichigo was a pretty damn good fighter. "Hah!" Hitsugaya laughed. "That baka was probably so enraged he didn't even bother to follow my reiatsu." "You better-" but Karin was cut off.


	8. Chapter 8

Ch 8.

"TOSHIRO!" Karin was forced to her knees as Ichigo's reiatsu pressure filled the surrounding area. Even Hitsugaya struggled to stay upright. Grimacing a bit, Hitsugaya still managed to say "It's Hitsugaya taicho to you, Kurosaki" with a smug look on his face. "And control you reiatsu dammit. Look at Karin," he said as he reached down to help her up. "Crap…" and the two of them felt the pressure lessen. Ichigo's faced hardened again. Ha had one foot forward and his empty had in a fist as he shouted, "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?" Hitsugaya continued to stare at him with his icy eyes. "AND IT'S KUROSAKI TAICHO TO YOU, DAMMIT!" pointing at his own sleeveless haori, annoyance etched across his face. "Tch-" Hitsugaya started, ignoring Ichigo's most recent outburst. "Well, Kurosaki _taicho_," –he added the honorary with extra emphasis- "maybe you should think about addressing others properly if you want the favor returned." Ichigo pointed Zangetsu at Hitsugaya, his face absolutely screwed up in rage. Oh how he wanted to wipe that smart-ass smirk off that little boy's face.

"YOU-" "Ichi-nii!" Karin shouted, arms outspread shielding Hitsugaya from Zangetsu. Ichigo lowered his zanpakuto immediately. "KARIN! YOU- HE-" Ichigo seemed at a loss for words. "Yes, Ichi-ni" Karin said calmly but forcefully. And it's not just a crush. It's not a fling. We're serious." "You're wha- serious?" At least he stopped yelling at the top of his lungs. "Seriously…?" he added quietly. "Yes." "Well why didn't you tell me? And I had to find out from Renji! He saw the two of you last night in the woods…" "I'm gonna kill that bastard, Renji. I don't care if he is my fukutaicho!" Karin thought angrily. She settled on taking this anger out on Ichigo for now.

"WELL IF YOU'VE GIVEN US MORE THAN A FEW HOURS THEN MAYBE WE WOULD HAVE TOLD YOU, BAKA!" It was now Karin's turn to shout. "I, er…" Ichigo said, as if to the air. He couldn't bring himself to look at Karin, or Hitsugaya for that matter. Then Ichigo raised Zangetsu again and shunpo-ed to stand behind Hitsugaya. Ichigo, having been trained by Yoruichi, was close to becoming as fast as she was, and before Karin or Hitsugaya knew what happened, Hitsugaya felt the sharp point of Zangetsu pointed at his back. As if he had a change of heart, Ichigo said, his voice in a menacing whisper, "If you ever hurt her, I'm going to hurt you so bad you won't even know what hit you." And with that he withdrew his zanpakuto and shunpo-ed off to who knows where. "Probably off to fight Zaraki-taicho and release some of his anger," Karin thought, shaking her head at her brother's hotheadedness.

"Well, that went well" Karin said, a small smile across her lips. "Yeah, as well as it could have been, I guess." Hitsugaya thought he could still feel the pressure of Zangetsu on his back. "Damn that Kurosaki!" Hitsugaya said as he took off his haori. Hitsugaya stuck his arm though it. A nice sized rip went right through the white cloth at the point where Zangetsu had been. "I've always hated him," he said clenching his fist, his haori still hanging off his arm. "Well you're just going to have to get used to him, won't you?" Karin laughed as she saw what her brother had done. "Yeah," Hitsugaya sighed. "Guess I have no choice, right?" Karin smiled at him. "But for her, it's all worth it," Hitsugaya thought. Making sure he couldn't sense Ichigo anymore, Hitsugaya leaned in and gave Karin a light kiss.

The End

Thanks for reading! If you haven't done so yet, write a review! I really take your comments into account!


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